US SS, and UK Pensions, WEP etc...

Thanks very much for your comments here - obviously a 'Guru' with good reason!

I've got less than 4 years now to consider matters although from your response it appears there may be very little I can do from a planning perspective and as I only have 40 credits and therefore WEP is inevitable - still I always considered getting a US SS  pension somewhat of a bonus anyway - and I'm still nervous that Trump might find a means to take that away also!

My private UK pensions will cause me to have the maximum WEP applied for the reasons OAP outlined.

I should not worry too much about Trump taking away your SS as that would would have to be an act of Congress and the US retiree population is a huge voting block. Even with a Republican majority in both houses they could not pass a bill to repeal the ACA (aka Obamacare) even though they had voted many times to get rid of it. When push came to shove and they saw the backlash from their constituents they could not get the votes to repeal it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efforts_to_repeal_the_Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act

On February 3, 2015, the House of Representatives added its 67th repeal vote to the record (239 to 186).

They may be able to reduce the value of SS by changing how increases are calculated or by making it fully taxable but even that will be difficult. (As a US expat living in the UK it is already fully taxable by HMRC)

I suppose when you apply for US SS, you are asked whether you are receiving other state pensions (which would then invoke WEP). You have options when you take your pensions. Why not take your US SS before the UK pension? At that time you can answer that you are not receiving any other pensions. Wouldn't that set up your US pension with no WEP? Then take UK pension later. Or do you have to answer that question every year?

A